Destiny's Battle Gone Astray
by snowylavendermist
Summary: Florina was a weakling, or so everyone felt, till one day, a person decides to take on the difficult task of training her. A very sinister person indeed, using her to kill the one man she loved... HecxFlo. Sidetracks from main story with many assumptios.


Destiny's Battle: A Lost Soul

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**Important!!**

**Okay, this story assumes a lot of stuff:**

**That the lords do have conferences at Castle Ostia. And, that they have to travel there.**

**That Ephidel did not die that quickly.**

**That Nergal was that free to try and contol an enemy unit.**

**That Florina and Hector already had a very close relationship.**

**That Nergal could use those spells. And no... it is not the berserk staff...**

**That a lot of stuff... So pls don't flame me for the atrocious sidetracking from the actual story plot...**

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_**Destiny's Battle: Gone Astray **_

1

Florina strolled along the thin narrow gravel path, her Pegasus, Huey, following her faithfully. She was emotionally upset and wounded, but did not show it physically as usual. Instead, she flew off without informing Lyn to this patch of lush, thick greenery, trying to soothe herself by walking through the beauty of the untouched woods.

"Everyone says that I am a weakling," Florina mumbled to Huey, hot tears threatening to overflow. "The tactician said that I was just a burden and that 'even a sword cut' could kill me. Everyone mocks me for this, even Lord Hector. Sometimes, I really do wish that I had someone more compassionate, like Lord Eliwood or Kent to replace Hector."

Huey, who had been nuzzling Florina's neck gently, stopped abruptly and blinked twice, giving forth a low whine, as though it was emphathising with her.

"Well, it is not really my fault that I have a low defence. All pegasus knights and falconknights are vulnerable. Besides, they never even bother to train me to try and level me up so how I am supposed to improve," Florina sighed, bitterly disappointed with herself and her companions.

"I am willing to help train you," a voice came from the shadows of the woods. To Florina, the voice sounded evil and sibilant, like a snake's hiss when out looking for prey. A tall, lean figure in thick jet-black robes stepped out.

2

"Ner- ner- ner- gal- gal," Florina stammered, turning pale with fright at the character approaching her. She knew who he was perfectly well. He was the reason why the three lords spent many sleepless nights worrying for the safety of the world.

_Nergal… _The one of supreme evil, harboring not a wisp of humanity or goodwill. The one who wield what could destroy the world if not defeated or stopped.

"My greetings to you Florina, pegasus knight of Ilia," Nergal smirked.

"Eep!" Florina gave a small, strangled cry of horror. Half- turning, she prepared herself to flee from the scene of her nightmare.

Nergal's expression hardened instantly. With a swift wave of his bony hand, he sent out a strong pulse of magic. Florina and Huey stood stock still on the ground as soon the sparks form the magic spell touched them. Summoning up all his energy, he cast a powerful yet risky spell. The enchantment sparked bight blue and white from the power surge. Gradually, it lost its radiance and changed into a thick black mist, veiling the figures of Florina and Huey, dissolving slowly as though it was diffusing into them through the skin.

Florina and Huey twitched again after all the haze had cleared.

"Your wish is my command, milord," Florina bowed down in front of Nergal.

Nergal crackled loudly, the noise resounding through the whole forest, sending a flurry of petrified birds soaring hurriedly into the air.

His spell had not failed him after all.

3

From then on, Florina would slip away from her contingent and fly to Nergal's castle every night, returning just before dawn. Nergal leveled her upwards swiftly, pitting her against his many morphs. After promoting her, he worked her furiously to her limit, pushing her to the extreme. He broke out of the ordinary and competed her against his own servants and henchmen such as Sonia and Limstella. After merely a month under Nergal's guidance and tutorial, Florina became an extremely accomplished Falconknight. Nergal managed to achieve an incredible feat that would have taken the protagonists more than a year to succeed.

In return, however, Florina had to sacrifice her previous sweet, innocent nature. She became cold, dark, ruthless and bloodthirsty, exactly like one of Nergal's henchmen such as Sonia and Ephidel. Her warm, compassionate aura was swapped for a fiery lavender beauty, chilling and unnerving but yet just as breath- taking.

Nergal smiled at the astounding transformation. Now, Florina was more like a battle Valkyrie than a normal pegasus or falconknight. Her face was void of all emotions as she clenched her Rex Hasta tightly. A long silver sword hung around her waist.

My kind of girl, just like Sonia, Nergal thought to himself, running his tongue over his top set of teeth.

"Well, Florina," he began regally, curled up on his ebony throne. A dim shadow was cast on his face as the fire burnt weakly in one corner of the room. "You have gone through an incredible transformation, do you not think?"

"Yes milord," Florina answered monotonously.

"Now, it is time for you to use your skills," Nergal continued. "Your protagonist-like companions will be arriving in Ostia tomorrow. Lord Hector (a distinct sneer) would be holding a stupid little conference in his tiny mansion (a crackle). You will wait for the conference to start, then storm to the room and kill Lady Lyndis (another sneer), Lord Eliwood (a growl) and of course, Lord Hector (a long snare). I will be with you to aid you. I wish to see the three "grand" lords fall before my very eyes. It shall give me the greatest satisfaction ever." Nergal's eyes blazed, the pupils reflecting the light of the fire.

"And cast off that shabby sword. Here is one that I have saved for long to use it for this purpose. Since I am untitled to use swords, you shall wield it and finish the trio off for me," Nergal concluded, tossing a long sturdy sword to Florina.

Florina fingered the sword gingerly. The jeweled scabbard shone with a blazing purple flame. The sword itself blazed lavender, its crystal blade edged with clear diamond. A thick diamond core ran down to the silver hilt inlaid with mauve crystals. Breathing deeply, Florina ran her hand down the blade, leaving behind a thin trail of blood. However, she felt no pain, only admiration and possessiveness. The blade was flaming cold, as though ready for its mission.

Ready for battle.

"I will never forget the mercy you have shown on me, milord," Florina recited. "I will not fail you."

"Name the sword." An unusual command, especially for Nergal.

"…"

"Just name it."

"I will name it -- " Florina glanced up, her eyes showing her slightest touch of human feeling. "It is called Destiny."

And with a last bow, she twirled, mounted Huey and sped out of the window, a pulsar against the midnight sky.

Nergal stared out after them. He was perfectly aware of the potential risk by leveling, promoting, and training and providing her with the sword, one of his highly trusted weapons. Unfortunately, he had no other alternative. She was the only one close enough to the three lords and still remain unsuspectingly innocent till the hour of destruction. In addition, she was the only one among the whole contingent who would be able to hold out against the spell's weakness.

Nergal frowned. If they did find the key in the end, he would be in a worse off position than now. His mouth set in a thin sour line; he slipped out, an unseen shadow in the inky blackness, trailing the pegasus racing across the sky.

No, he promised himself, I will make sure that she remains in my hands.

4

The contingent crawled slowly towards Ostia, famished and worn out. Florina cast a scornful glance at them from high up in the aquamarine sky.

They are really slow, she thought, much irritated. Honestly, they look like a slug from up here, dawdling and disorganised.

Grimacing, she glanced at Sain trying to flirt with her elder sister Farina in mid-air while riding behind her on her pegasus. Kent, his closest friend, had hitched a ride on her eldest sister Fiora's pegasus. Lyn had insisted walking with the rest instead of riding with her, or so it was recommended.

When Kent had suggested that idea, Florina had to try hard to prevent herself from rolling her eyes in exasperation and blowing her cover. "If Lyn had the audacity to clamber up," Florina murmured, "I will just save myself some trouble and finish her off in the air."

With a swoop, she dived down and informed Lyn that she would be going first. Wings flapping, Huey soared and glided across the sky, riding the thermals and air currents.

"I never knew that Florina could fly that quickly," Farina commented, undoubtly astonished. Behind her, Sain made a long wolf whistle as he stared at the diminishing figure of the pegasus and its rider.

"Maybe she trained up while we were away slaughtering the enemies," Kent answered gravely.

Fiora kept silent. She was gravely worried.

Distantly, they could see the shining gates of Ostia.

5

Huey landed in the courtyard, swift like a falcon, graceful as a swan and noiselessly like a feather. A thin cloud of dust and soil particles rose. Florina slipped down from the saddle, the thriving grass padding her underfoot.

Lord Hector, his "lame" henchman Matthew and the tactician Kathleen stepped out to welcome her. Lord Eliwood, who had arrived with his band several days earlier, followed them.

Hector stretched out his arms, ready to envelop Florina in a warm endearing hug. Florina, however, stepped away solemnly, with her lance in a poised position.

"Don't you miss me, Florina?" Hector gasped, visible shocked. His companions were all taken aback by the sudden change in their routine. After all, from past experiences, they expected a warm, loving reunion consisting of whole ladlefuls of hugs, kisses and caresses, but this was completely out of the ordinary.

Florina raised one eyebrow slightly.

"Emm…Florina? Ehh…where are the rest?" Kathleen asked with much difficulty.

"Behind," Florina replied in a tone as flat as the marble floor of a five-star hotel's lift lobby. Pushing her way past, she led her pegasus to the stables.

"Florina?" Hector gazed after her departing figure in bewilderment.

6

The Sun set slowly outside, tainting the sky a rosy-pink colour mixed with soothing orange. Clouds drifted lazily across the colourful sky, exchanging their virgin-snow white colours for the shades of sunset.

Florina rose from where she had been polishing her Rex Hasta and Destiny sword. The conference had commenced half an hour ago, immediately after the rest of Lyn's group had arrived. She, ranked as an "unimportant character", had not been invited to attend it since she had long been dubbed as "frail and worthless". Hector had only demanded for her to come along to Ostia due to his own personal preferences.

It was time.

And this time, Florina vowed silently in an icy fury, I will show them all.

7

Soundless as an agile feline, Florina slipped unnoticed down the dark alleys and corridors. Rounding a corner, she nearly crashed into Hawkeye.

"Hi ther-" Hawkeye began cheerily.

Not another word escaped from his throat. Blood spurted from the deep wound. A gurgle and an extremely confounded expression came next. Finally, as the grand finale, there was the muffled sound of one toppling heavily onto the carpeted floor.

Wiping the blood off her prized Rex Hasta, Florina cast a cursory glance at the fallen man and continued on her way, ready for the next victim.

8

Lowen fell to the ground, blood and stomach acid spilling out from the deep cut on his abdomen. Blood and gore dripped slowly from Florina's Rex Hasta shaft.

Not bad, Florina congratulated herself sadistically. First, there was Hawkeye, then dozens of menservants, chambermaids and Lowen. "I really ought to open a bottle of champagne and throw a party," she added sarcastically.

Raising her head, she spied Oswin peeking from behind the wall around a bend several metres away. A horrified expression hung undeniably on his face. As soon as he saw her start towards him, he sped off frantically.

"Too late," Florina hissed under her breath, narrowing her eyes determinedly. "No one shall escape from me once I set my eyes on them." Her feet barely touched the ground as she pranced after him in hot pursuit. The gap in between them narrowed significantly.

"He is going for the conference room," Florina mumbled to herself. "How interesting." Deliberately, she slowed down her pace, stopping in the hall outside the room. Picking an intricate stained glass globe ornament from one of the carved rosewood side-tables, she twirled it on her index finger. Leaning against the wall, she watched Oswin and took aim carefully.

9

"Lord Hector!" A very worn-out Oswin slammed open the door, interrupting Lord Hector in the middle of a sentence and thoroughly startling everyone. "Help-help-help-me-me-" He had scarcely finished when a colourful glass globe crashed into his back, shattering there and then.

"What the - " Hector started furiously.

Oswin clutched onto the heavy wooden door for support, blood streaming from his mouth like rivulets due to the severity of his internal injuries. Barely a second later, a lance shaft pierced through his abdomen.

He collapsed instantly, blood spewing from his wound, in front of the stunned group.

"Oswin!" Vaida rose and went over to his lifeless body. The next second, she lay motionless, sprawled on top of him. A thin trail of blood ran from the clean slit on her neck to her armor and clothes.

Hector stood up in bafflement. The rest were numb and silent with shock as well.

Nergal grinned from the shadows where he was following and watching.

10

Florina stepped carefully over the two corpses, twiddling with another glass sphere from the hall outside. Calmly, she retrieved her weapons and cleansed the blood and gore off them. Thrusting the sword back into its scabbard affectionately, she prepared herself to face the contingent and the onslaught that would follow.

"Impossible." Everyone was repeating the same word over and over again.

Hector's mouth reeled open, but not could come out. His face showed a mixture of shock, fury, disbelief and horror. Subtly, Florina could sense heart-wrenching pain written underneath the obvious emotions.

Silence befell.

"You know what, Florina," Serra commented jokingly, breaking the tense silence. "Your Rex Hasta is still totally dirty, and you look as though you are on a killing spree through the mansion."

Florina's eyes narrowed. A bad sign.

"And you know what," Florina answered coldly, sarcasm dripping from her voice, "I am on one right now." With that, she hurled the sphere.

Serra screamed and ducked.

The sphere missed her by mere inches.

Instead, it crashed into Sain's chest plate, where it broke into millions of coloured glass pieces.

The impact drove Sain crushing back against the wall, a column of fresh blood shooting out of his mouth.

Everyone stared in disbelief, taken aback.

"I'm fine…I think…" Sain looked up at his friends weakly and managed to force a grin out, giving a thumb's up sign before another stream of blood spurted out. Priscilla rushed over to heal him, but was only able to restore him partially.

The group shifted their centre of attention from Sain to Florina. Not even bothering or noticing, she was playing with another glass sphere, which had seemed to appear from nowhere.

11

Kent, angered by the harm done to his closest friend, rushed forward with his silver lance, the shaft gleaming under the light. The rest, following his example, swarmed forward, attempting to take her down. The only ones remaining were Sain, Serra, Priscilla, Jaffar, Raven and Hector. Hector still carried the disbelieving expression and sorrow reflected in his deep blue eyes. The hand holding his Wolf Beil was trembling slightly.

Florina fended off the hoard effortlessly using only her Rex Hasta, as though she was swatting at several tiny mosquitoes.

"Florina, what has happened to you?" Kent shouted to be heard above the metallic clashes of weapons all around.

"You were never like this previously," Erk added as he let loose another fireball, which unfortunately hit Farina instead of Florina.

Several others, such as Eliwood, Lyn and Farina started calling after Erk simultaneously. However, the only response they could ever evoke out of Florina was a light smile of scorn that was characteristic of all of Nergal's henchmen and a slow shake of her head.

"Everyone stop! Let me do this," Fiora's high-pitched voice rang through the chaotic room. As though they had received a heavenly decree, everyone stepped back and watched.

"Florina, my dear sister, what happened to you lately?" Fiora walked up closer to her, the sisterly love and concern evident in her voice. "You have- have- have changed (a slight hesitation). You used to be innocent and sweet, with a pleasant smile and a compassionate heart. You were (more hesitation) rather weak, but at least you had a marvelous and charming character."

Frowning deeply, she continued on. "I have no idea what you have gotten yourself into, but it is as if you have sold your soul for power. Look at yourself now; you have turned into a cold and heartless person. Have you forgotten the memorable and blissful days that all of us had with one another? Can you remember the pleasurable times you had with Farina, Lyn, me, or perhaps even Lord Hector?"

Florina looked at the carpet on the floor, refusing to meet anyone's eye.

"Stop bringing back the past!" The words were harsh, but the edge had disappeared.

This is when I intervene, Nergal thought as he slipped through unseen to Florina. Whispering, he commanded her to kill Fiora. Unwittingly, Florina stabbed her lance into Fiora, but as her hand trembled, the point hit her arm instead.

Fiora fell back, giving forth a cry of pain. Serra and Priscilla tended to her immediately.

Chaos broke out once more.

12

Kent, driven by extreme fury, drove his silver lance at hers, the two of them entangling in a fierce combat. Lyn charged with her Mani Katti waving in the air. Eliwood's rapier flashed menacingly as he advanced with a surge of energy. The others drew their weapons as well.

Faced with this overwhelming outburst, Florina defended herself skillfully by her wit and tactics. With her dainty movements and svelte body moving in accordance to the rhythm of the fight, she looked like a dancer instead of a falconknight.

Wil and Rebecca, the pair of gifted archers, took careful aim and fired an arrow each simultaneously from opposite sides of the room, believing strongly that at least one would hit Florina.

The two arrows sped towards Florina. Florina back-flipped in the air, pushing Kent and Eliwood off their feet and crashing into a table behind. The two arrows crossed each other's path. One hit Wil on his right arm. The other pierced into Rebecca's left arm. A double cry of pain resounded through the room. Florina gloated at her success.

Erk and Pent combined their magic and energy at one corner. Brewing a spell with disastrous effects, they created a white-hot fireball sparking flashes of lightning. Nergal, who had been watching this, slid over to Florina to help her instantly. Casting a spell of protection over her, the devastating fireball was absorbed by a black miasma. Without warning of any kind, the blackness swirled and released a bigger fireball, throwing sparks and glowing with an unimaginable power. The fireball rammed straight into Erk and Pent, disintegrating. The impact of the hit was so strong that their own spell of protection collapsed, sending the two sages crashing into Serra and Louise behind them.

Nergal smirked. There would be no stopping her now. The more spells they cast, the stronger Florina would become. The unique spell of protection would absorb the essence of the attack, convert into a usable form of energy and allow her to use it as an alternative power source. Sometimes, Nergal wondered why such fabulous spells were only workable on the weaker and more fragile classes of people like pegasus knights and dancers or bards.

Athos stepped forward, determination written on his face. Waving his staff, he cast Forblaze over Florina, hoping to take her down with it. A flurry of activity, a beam of intense light, a burst of supernatural energy… and nothing happened. Athos was momentarily rooted to the ground in awe and shock.

Florina rolled her eyes at the scene. What a spectacular display of fireworks, she thought sardonically.

The two druids, Lucius and Canas, cleared a wide pathway for themselves. Standing at the two opposite sides of the room, they unleashed their utmost fury and power with grim expressions. Intense beams of light radiated from Lucius, aiming straight for Florina. A dozen of black energy spheres that burnt with a deep purple flame sped for her from Canas.

Florina closed her eyes gently. She was sure that she would not survive through this. After all, the opposite poles of energy were attacking her at the same moment from opposite directions. The force would upset her internal balance and cause a malfunction in her internal organs, which would eventually lead to her death. She could sense the heat and the radiation from the two spells…

Nergal snapped his fingers, sending golden- yellow sparks of magic showering down. The two beams tore through Florina's body. A mini explosion occurred… and the beams passed through again.

Lucius and Canas were stunned by the clever trick Nergal had purposely played on them. Never had they ever expected this to happen. Nergal, knowing the spell of protection would not be able to sustain from such a great blow, had made her transparent to the effects of all magic. It was a sacrifice he had to make, however, since the spell was a one-use type of magic. After its first use, the tome would disintegrate automatically disappear from the surface of the world forever, never be able to be found anymore. Doubtless to say, it had massive effects and advantages.

The two beams of enchantment sped forward, unable to be stopped. The light rays collided into Canas and the black spell hit Lucius squarely in the chest. The druid and bishop spent a minute coughing up blood. Lucius coughed out maroon blood with specks of black while Canas' was crimson with pinkish clots. Retreating, they stepped back into the body of the contingent, casting a few random spells at intervals, hoping that one of them would hit its target.

13

Dart, who had been watching the 'show' with much irritation and displeasure for a long time, finally lost his patience.

" Enough!" he shouted as he elbowed his way through. "Axes beat lances and since Lord Hector refuses to take down his precious girlfriend, I will take the honour instead!"

This is lame, Florina thought in response to Dart's sudden and random action. In a low voice, she cautioned him, "You are a very reckless and foolhardy person, or so I just realised."

"That is not important," Dart snarled like a wolf meeting an opponent. Swinging his silver axes high above his head, he sent them crashing down. Quick as a flash, Florina somersaulted out of the way. The axes landed heavily in the floor, the wood underneath the carpet splintering from the force and weight. Pulling his axes out, he attempted again. Needless to say, Florina had long learnt the perfect arts of dodging from Lloyd and managed to avoid direct contact of weaponry.

Unfortunately, she made a fatal slip when she leaped away and landed at a corner. She had trapped herself with nowhere to run to; a major disadvantage when avoiding direct combat when dealing with warriors and berserkers. She saw Dart come lumbering towards her way, blocking all possible routes of escape from her present predicament. Firmly, she held on to her Rex Hasta, as though she was going to defend herself with it. Dart raised his axes, eyes blazing triumphantly. Florina's other hand went for Destiny's hilt.

The next few seconds were a blur.

The axes fell down, the highly polished blades gleaming lethally in the light. Florina unsheathed Destiny at the last moment. The two blades met.

The blade cleaved cleaning through the axes, before cutting the metal.

Silver shards scattered in various directions, lodging themselves in the walls, floor and the furniture.

The axes had shattered.

Destiny, however, bore not a scratch.

Dart, thrown off his feet by the tremor, crumpled in a heap on the floor five feet away with his broken axes. His eyes flickered traces of fear, regret, sorrow, fury and other emotions as Florina leapt up, ready to deliver the last blow…

14

A slim silver lance greeted Destiny.

Florina looked up. Farina stood before her, clenching the lance, her eyes spitting out cold flares.

"Never are you ever going to hurt my boyfriend," she sneered. The shaft of the lance dove towards Florina's unguarded white neck.

Florina shrugged. With a derisive smirk, she thrust Destiny towards her sister. Farina returned the attack with another offensive jab of her lance, this time towards Florina's abdomen. Florina defended herself with ease as Farina tried once and again to overcome her. Beads of perspiration formed and dropped from Farina's brow, betraying her composed manner and unruffled attitude.

Florina smiled serenely at her sister's stubbornness and insistence to defeat her. She knew perfectly well that one well-aimed stroke of Destiny's blade would destroy Farina, but she made no effort to do so.

This is really lame; she sniggered silently as she dodged another of Erk's Elfire, which he had fired in hope of distracting her from the battle.

All of a sudden, without any warning, she plunged Destiny deep into Farina's chest, as though driven by some unknown surge of energy.

The room went deathly silent.

The fireball, which had been forming in Pent's hands, disintegrated into ashes.

No one could believe what they had just witnessed. "She killed her own sister," everyone was murmuring silently to himself or herself.

As Destiny's blade cut through Farina's body, she could feel the pumping of the Farina's gravely wounded heart giving out its last faint contractions.

Somehow, the feeling evoked a sense of guilt and sorrow within her own heart, something she had not felt ever since she joined Nergal.

Farina fell slowly, as though clutching on to the last seconds of her life desperately. Her face was a twisted, indescribable mixture of anger, sorrow, fatigue and confusion. Florina could clearly decipher the look the Farina gave her.

"Florina?" she gasped in a small dying breath.

As Destiny was pulled out from her chest, Farina collapsed in a pool of dark blood on the carpet, which was by now dotted and stained with drops of blood from contributors are over the room.

Scarlet blood ran down the blade and dripped soundlessly from the tip of the sword onto the carpet.

Florina looked away, down at the floor. She could not bear Farina's dying gaze at her. She could not afford to weaken, now that she had come so far. She could feel her own heart contract painfully as it shed tears of blood, something which had only happened when she was back in the old times when she was still loyal to the three lords of Lycia.

Behind her, she heard a harsh crackle. She knew perfectly well who it was.

Nergal materialized beside her.

A gasp rose from everyone.

Nergal smiled.

15

"My greetings to all the lords, ladies, knights, paladins, heroes, sages, bishops, mages, snipers, warriors, berserkers and others present," Nergal smirked, not a hint of sincerity present in his voice, sounding more like cat's purr when it is about to strike.

"How did you get in here?" Hector demanded, clenching his Wolf Beil so tightly that his knuckles were turning pale.

Nergal laughed a horrible crackle. "Very easily. Your precious girlfriend is the best and most noble henchman I have ever had." He placed his boney hand on Florina's shoulder. "And especially since she was one of the most innocent, virtuous and attractive girls among the whole lot of you," he added slyly.

As soon as Nergal's hand touched her, the last remaining piece of humanity in Florina was replaced by energy and power. Her head snapped up and she stared into everyone's eyes, the cold gleam reflecting the light from the candles in the chandelier.

"I must say I am highly pleased with her progress. She is my top killer so far, breaking both Limstella and Jaffar's records. The spell worked amazingly," Nergal continued.

"And what spell might that be?" Athos asked sharply.

"Can you not tell the difference in her?" Nergal scoffed. "I have used one of the most the primitive yet powerful spells to place her under my control by exiling her own soul, which includes her character, personality and other aspects. With a little alteration to the spell, I have imprisoned her very own soul in an inaccessible area deep within her. With that, I trained her against my own other henchmen. The change in her is amazing, is it not? She is much more powerful, stronger, faster and more beautiful in a way as well."

"Are you not afraid that you will lose everything when the spell is broken?" Pent's voice was cold and firm. "Every spell has its own weakness, even if it is the most powerful one ever to have existed."

"Oh, but have you, or any of you, found the key to breaking the spell," Nergal said mockingly. "No, am I not right? I have taken precautions, never fear. At first, I was slightly worried, but then I realised that I had nothing to fear. The minor changes that I have made have covered nearly every spectrum that I have to worry about. The only remaining flaw is so delicately concealed that it would be undoubtly easier to kill her than to try and free her captive soul."

Everyone hushed again, frowning.

"Now Florina," Nergal voice softened distinctly as he addressed his undertaker. "Go and finish off the three lords for me. It is my time to have a taste of sweet victory. "

As though in a trance, Florina unsheathed Destiny and advanced mechanically but threateningly towards the three lords who had been standing next to the window.

The sword point sparkled with a purple radiance ominously.

The whole contingent's eyes were fixed on the Destiny, the sword that would destroy all of them eventually if not stopped.

16

Lyn was to first to respond. "Let me deal with her," she said, her face a mask of determination. "After all, I was supposed to look after her."

Eliwood voiced his objection immediately. "I think not," he said. "You will definitely not survive her onslaught. She will just finish you off with a single strike of that deadly sword of hers. She can have of a taste of my rapier instead." He narrowed his eyes at Florina, who was standing impassively five feet away from them. As calmly as he could manage, he strode up to her.

He had scarcely walked two steps forward when a restraining hand on his shoulder stopped him from going any further.

He turned to see Hector standing behind him.

"Take it easy Eliwood. You have been injured just now. Let me do this," Hector explained in the steadiest tone he could manage. "She had always been in my care. I was supposed to make she remain by me and prevent herself and her pegasus from getting into any trouble of all sorts. I am responsible for her, so let me do this."

Taking firm steps, he walked up to her with as much dignity as he could manage. His eyes shone with fortitude, yet the determination could not cover up the trembling of his hand, which held his Wolf Beil, or the crackling fire that blazed with a throbbing pain deep within his heart, which scorched and burnt him emotionally.

Florina and Hector faced each other in the centre of room. All those present held their breath in anticipation and fear.

A gust of wind entered the room without invitation through the wide-open window. It whipped specifically around the two figures of Hector and Florina, ignoring the rest. Florina's skirt caught the breeze and rustled noisily against her legs. Hector's maroon cape billowed in the air.

A battle atmosphere haloed around them.

They stood motionless, gazing at each other, seemingly not caring for the awkwardly silent environment surrounding them.

Florina's eyes were still cold and sharp as two freshly- cut blue diamonds, displaying her ruthless character. Grasping her sword, she flicked a lock of her lavender hair back with a toss of her head.

Hector's face had a twisted expression, a confusing mixture of fury, sorrow, pity, passion, disbelief and determination. It was near impossible to single out any one of the emotions displayed on his face and describe them, for they were too profound, too deep, and unable to be understood by normal people.

When he finally spoke, his voice was just a gloomy, low whisper. "Florina."

"Can you try to change back to yourself? Back to your old self, remember, when we still had the pleasant times together…" His voice faltered.

Florina shrugged slightly, staring vacantly at the inky sky outside the window.

In a dark corner of the room, Nergal hissed impatiently, "What are waiting for? Finish him off!"

Florina remained motionless. Her hand shook, but only to a negligible amount.

Nergal sneered. "Did you not hear my command? Forget him and all of his nonsensical talk. The past is gone and in its place is the present. So, kill him now and get on with the other two! And when I say now, I mean it!"

Almost involuntarily, Florina sprang forward with Destiny poised in her hand. Stepping back to ward off the blow, Hector shielded with his Wolf Beil with a sharp ringing sound. There was a sharp exchange of blows as the two engaged themselves in a fierce combat.

Hector, with his armor plates and weapon, had the advantage of warding off the shower of blows from the sword. Florina, meanwhile, was quick and nimble, ready to leap out of the way and through any loopholes to safety.

After a quarter of an hour had passed, the would-be victor was still unable to be determined clearly.

All of a sudden, in a surge of effort, Florina leapt into the air and did a half- back flip. Slamming her blade down forcefully on Hector's shoulder plate as she descended, she landed softly on the carpet in a crouched position, as trained ninjas do.

Hector's armor shattered from the blow. The metal pieces cracked and fell apart onto the floor in jagged shards, leaving him highly vulnerable and in an extremely dangerous predicament. Hector himself was greatly stunned from the impact. Although his armor absorbed most of the damage, the shock was enough to make him drop his Wolf Beil and paralyse him momentarily.

When he had recovered from his trauma, the sharp point of Destiny was directly above his heart.

17

Silence lorded over everyone again.

Hector glanced at the tip of the sword briefly, and then gazed long and deeply at Florina. Her face displayed not a whit of humanity or human emotions. The hand wielding the sword was firm and steady, ready to plunge the blade in at any time.

Diverse feelings swirled within Hector like the patterns on a marble tile.

He did not care so much for himself. After all, he had been hanging on the edge of his life for so many times in combat that he had gotten immune to the sting of death. He was thinking more of Florina, the comparison between the old and the new side of her.

A spasm of pain wrecked him as he recalled the precious memories of the times he had with her in the past, something that may never happen again.

The sentence he had kept shut up in his heart for a long period of time gnawed at him, unwilling to give in.

Did she know, he wondered, if I were going to die it would be better to tell her now before I live my next life with eternal regret, so why not just confess it.

"Hurry up and kill him!" Nergal snapped from his dark corner.

"…" Florina kept silent. The sword point rested directly against Hector's chest.

Hector breathed deeply. He could feel the flaming cold metal against his comparatively warm flesh.

Then came a throbbing pain like that of a pin's prick.

A drop of blood oozed from the tiny wound on Hector's chest, running down his shirt. Another drop clung on to the tip of Destiny's blade.

Hector steadied himself. "Florina, can you spare me a minute before you kill me? I would like to have a word or two."

Florina glanced back at Nergal.

"Well, well," Nergal smirked. "The Great Lord Hector wishes to make a dying speech. I wonder what will he say? Very well, go ahead. We may have a humiliating but entertaining scene shown to us in front. Just imagine, the Great Lord Hector begging his girlfriend and his greatest sworn enemy for mercy."

Florina' s arm relaxed slightly. Destiny's sharp point was lowered by two inches.

"You know," Hector began. "I have always been wanting to tell you this, but could not due to the impropriety of the situation or lack of courage."

Florina's fine dark eyebrows arched slightly.

"I just want to say that -that I –I –I love you," Hector stammered hesitantly. "I do not know whether you already realise this but I know that others are always saying that our relationship would not work out since I seem to have so many other relationships with other girls, but all the rumors are unreliable. I wish to get this straight before I die so that you will understand the truth of the nature of our relationship. You are the only one I have ever loved in my entire life and I treasure all the priceless moments we had together previously…" His voice trailed off.

Destiny trembled in Florina's hand. Automatically, the memories came tumbling back to her, eclipsing everything around her. Some were painful, some sweet, some sour, some even bitter. Together, they mixed together to form a long strand of events in the chronological order, like a mini movie. Gently, she closed her eyes, reminiscing…

18

The first thing she could recall was the first time she met Hector.

"_Huey! Down! There's an archer!" Florina cried out in horror and dismay._

_Frightened, Huey dived down to the ground, trying to evade the flurry of arrows from the enemy archers. _

_Without caring for where he was going, Huey crashed into a tall, blue-armored stranger on the ground, where he landed._

_The thunderous cry of fury and shock soon changed into an enraged exclamation. "A haystack would have done much better than me!"_

_Florina rolled off Huey's back and onto the person due to the loss of symmetrical balance briefly._

_Almost immediately, she pulled herself up and stepped back. "Lord Hector!" she mumbled in shock, fear and slightest bit of awe._

_Hearing his name, Hector glanced up to look at Florina. Their gazes met._

_Blushing deeply and muttering apologies, Florina mounted Huey and fled at top speed, leaving an indignant, bewildered yet amused Hector still half-sprawled on the grass._

Florina smiled, the pleasant smile she always adorned on her face before she became another of Nergal's henchmen.

The next incident followed the first.

_Florina walked up to Lord Hector, only to see him trying to strike Huey with his Wolf Beil._

_Crying out in shock and despair, she rushed over to Huey's side, with Hector shouting in an enraged manner, stating that Huey had grabbed him and that it was time for Huey to be taught a lesson. _

_Flinging herself beside Hector and Huey, Florina tried to protect Huey from Hector's fury and Wolf Beil with her own slender, frail figure._

She could not perfectly remember what took place next, but the ending was vividly imprinted within her.

_The words "stay by my side" and "keep out of trouble" resounded in Florina's ears. Somehow, it seemed to touch a piece of her heart. _

_Tears of relief fell from her eyes slowly, dripping onto the soft lawn below her like droplets of water collected on the blades after a rainstorm._

_Hector, uncertain about how to deal with girls who were crying, immediately told her stop, but to no avail of course._

Whenever she recalled this, she would smile at Hector's uncomfortable and peculiar expression when he saw her crying.

Then, of course, there was the time they separated at the gates of the castle of Ostia.

_It was the end of the first conference organised between the three lords. Lyn and contingent were at the gate of Hector's castle in Ostia, giving their thanks and bidding the necessary farewells. Eliwood and his band waited nearby, ready to set off._

"_On the behalf of my group, I thank you once again for your hospitality," Lyn bowed to Hector. Beside her, Florina smiled graciously at their host._

"_I hope to see you soon." Hector responded, looking directly at Florina._

_Extending his hand, he shook hands with Lyn. Holding out his hand to Florina, he gazed at her face, which was reddening by the minute._

"_Go on, shake his hand," Lyn whispered to Florina and nudged her._

_Rather shyly and reluctantly, Florina held out hers. _

_Instead of grasping her hand, Hector reached out and grabbed her by her arm. His hand pulled her towards him and he enveloped her in a hug._

_Florina's cheeks were tainted with the light pink of a newly bloomed rose. Pulling, away, she tried to break free from his grasp._

_Hector, however, tilted her head till their eyes met, and kissed her gently on the lips._

_Then, as though unwilling to let her go, his hands wrapped around her willowy frame and he embraced her again._

_Everyone present gasped at the scene at first, which soon turned into a smile._

_When Hector finally let her go, he whispered to her privately. "Go now, and travel safely. I will see you again as soon as possible."_

_Dazed and embarrassed, Florina stepped away and rejoined Lyn quickly._

_On the whole journey back to Caelin, Sain and Farina teased her relentlessly while Kent and Fiora smiled maturely from another side. Behind her, Lyn made futuristic plans for her as the potential marchioness of Ostia._

Their relationship blossomed from there and then. Florina found it much of a pleasure to go over the incidents again. The soft, dreamy, fairytale-like scenes were filled with… with… with … love.

Florina wondered how long it had been since she had not used that word at all in her vocabulary.

_Florina lay beside Hector on the soft grass amongst fragrant rose bushes, gazing up at the heavens. The stars twinkled down at them from the jet- black sky high above…_

_An exquisite ivory comb in his hand, Hector brushed though Florina's thick pale- lavender hair, the candlelight rays shining softly against the two of them…_

_Sitting sat each other's side on the marble outer ring of the water fountain in Hector's garden, enjoying a quiet moment together. The crystal-clear droplets of water sprinkled from the marble dolphin's mouth splashed into the pool of water below, creating harmonious musical notes, thereby adding a touch of romanticism… _

_Walking down the beach at sunset, they watched the Sun sink below the horizon and the Dark Lady of the Night taking its reign. Florina's hair fluttered in the cool sea breeze. Hector's hand tightened its hold on Florina's waist…_

Finally, it all seemed to dawn on Florina. Light flickered momentarily across her face as the memories came flooding back to her in a flurry, like a flock of birds released from captivity.

Unknowingly, a cold tear, which should have been shed long ago, cruised down her pale cheek.

Deep within her, something stirred slowly, as though waking up from a deep slumber.

Her soul twitched in its icy prison.

The prison of icicles was melting, its strength ebbing away. It could not withstand the heat and radiance from the memories, or what was coined as: love.

Gradually, the spell lost its hold and the prison became more brittle and fragile, as her soul grew stronger.

At that fateful moment, her soul burst forth.

The remaining ice fragments of the cage shattered with an audible cringe, or so it seemed to Florina.

Her soul flew free once again, awoken from its eternal sleep and restored to full potential and health by one of the fundamental and yet most powerful elements of all time: love.

Resuming its rightful position, it restored all the disorder back to balance and put all the necessary rules and guidelines back in place.

Tears flowed more freely down now, creating thin channels down Florina's ivory cheeks. She bit her lip involuntarily.

Destiny fell to the ground with a clear, high-pitched metallic sound.

Florina rushed forward to Hector, throwing her arms around his neck. The warm teardrops fell soundlessly on him.

At first rather surprised by the change of events, Hector nearly lost his balance. Clutching Florina to him as though his life depended on her, he breathed in the sweet scent of her lavender perfume deeply, a smell he knew only too well.

It was the cure to his wounded heart. The mere thought that she was resting in his arms was a balm to him.

The two of them embraced for a long time, oblivious to the surroundings.

Everyone, though momentarily astounded, heaved a sigh of relief and gave a pleasant smile to the two.

That was with the exception of Nergal.

"Impossible!" Nergal's wrath shattered nearly every glass ornament in the mansion. "How can that be so? I have taken every single preventive measure there is!"

"That is because you did not know the miracles love can do," Florina explained in a quiet voice. "In fact, I do not believe that love has ever been included in your vocabulary or any part of your life. You rely too much on the physical aspect, and never probe into defending the emotional self, which is what that brought you to this end."

Another fierce cry of rage tore through the room, shattering the windowpane with its ferocity. An icy gust stormed into the room and whirled around, stinging all those present.

With a low but terrifying howl, Nergal vanished with a sweep of his black robes. The blackish mist that was the remains of Nergal collected itself.

"You may have won this round," the voice hissed, seething with impotent rage and hatred. "But that was one victory, only one. I shall be the winner, or so you shall see, you miserable fools."

Then with a chilling gust, it too disappeared.

19

"Are you alright now?" Hector still enclosed Florina in his arms.

"There's no need to worry," Florina replied softly, her usual smile on her face again. "I am back to my original self, except that I shall continue to be a brilliant Falconknight and I can still use that sword and a Rex Hasta."

"You know, I thought I had lost you for ever and ever to that horrendous maniac," Hector smiled. "It grieved me to battle you just now, since I had never intended to hurt you. Any wound inflicted on you would have caused that same amount of pain to exist on my heart." A brief pause interrupted him. "Are you really alright now?"

"Well, I'm back, am I not?" Florina rested her head on his shoulder.

Lowering her volume so that only the two of them could hear, she added, "I love you too, Hector, milord."

Sain, who was forever interested in everyone's love affairs, disturbed their peaceful, sacred moment of reunion.

"Was that not a nice piece of drama, everyone? How touching it is to see two charming and young lovers still being so engrossed in their private atmosphere," Sain teased them in a loud voice, making sure that the whole room could hear him.

Everyone burst into uncontrollable laughter.

Abruptly, Hector dropped his arms, while Florina turned crimson in the face, her innocence and compassion clearly reflected once again on her features.

The laughter floated out of the open window, dissolving into the silent darkness of the night.

20

Nergal curled up on his throne, his energy much spent and his ego highly bruised.

He cursed himself for being such a fool to waste so much time, magic and effort on a silly girl and still not be able to complete the mission in the very end.

Grinding his teeth in hatred and in a dreadful rage, he summoned Limstella, preparing to concoct another plan to outwit Hector, Eliwood, Lyn and the rest.

Once again, I reinforce my statement that this fanfic sidetracks and assumes many things that did that exist in FE7 exists...


End file.
